Did I mention that it’s overcast here? It’s June. According to twitter, the last time it rained in San Francisco during June was in the 1930s. Crazy. My neighbor kid called it June-uary. How funny is that? She also let me try on 12 of her Silly Bandz yesterday. But that’s besides the point. I’m just irritated that I can’t get started with the outdoor cocktail-ing yet. Instead, I spent yesterday indoors baking and cleaning up my garage…dreaming about cold beer with lime & shrimp tacos.
To taste a bit of summer, I decided to open a jar of the Early Peach Marmalade from Blue Chair Fruit yesterday afternoon but we had no bread in the house. Instead of smearing it on warm buttered toast, I decided to make this walnut shortbread because, why not? The little Martha Stewart recipe card has been sitting on my kitchen counter for months now and I had all of the ingredients…serendipity!
So…Walnut Shortbread. What’s not to like? Buttery, crispy, slightly nutty (wishing for a few nutty chunks!) but very delicate and perfect for preserves. Fantastic snack or breakfast for an overcast day with hot tea. Amazing with peach marmalade. AH-MAZING. If the weather would cooperate, I’d pack a few squares & some jam for makeshift picnic in the park or maybe layer some in an fluffy apricot parfait? But today I plan on crushing some up and adding it to my Greek yogurt with honey and fresh raspberries. That’s just how I roll. Summer, I’ll see you soon.
And we’re off!
Get your ingredients together. Toast some walnuts.
Put the walnuts in a mini food processor.
MIX!
Mix the walnut meal with the flour & salt. Get your butter, vanilla & powdered sugar ready.
Cream it with a hand mixer! Now add the dry ingredients and incorporate.
Toss dough into a lubed cake pan.
Push down the dough with saran wrap. Even it out.
Cut into sections & poke with a stick.
Bake & then let cool. Dust powdered sugar on top.
Here’s a cup of tea, a slice of shortbread, a fake daisy & some overcast weather with some moody lighting.
And here’s a slice with that crazy good jam on top….
With a little toasted walnut to boot.
Walnut Shortbread
Makes 8
(recipe from Martha Stewart Magazine)
- 1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pan
- 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, plus more for dusting
- 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pulse walnuts in a food processor until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl, and whisk in flour and salt.
Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla until pale and fluffy. Slowly add walnut mixture, and beat until just combined.
Butter an 8-inch round cake pan. Transfer dough to pan.
Place a piece of plastic wrap on dough, and use it to press the dough evenly into pan (this will prevent the dough from sticking to your fingers). Cut dough into 8 wedges using a paring knife. Prick all over with a wooden skewer or fork.
Bake until golden brown and firm in center, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack. Recut into wedges and prick again. Let cool slightly. Dust with confectioners’ sugar.
